As a University of Notre Dame undergraduate, Jennifer Scanlon knew she wanted a math-based career but wasn’t sure what it would be.
Her math instructor urged his best students to become actuaries. “With my personality, being an actuary just wasn’t in the cards.
“So, I did some research and discovered Notre Dame had another math-based major, computer applications, most of whose requirements I’d already fulfilled,” Scanlon said. “I’d only need a few more classes, be employable after graduation — my mom’s biggest worry — and didn’t need some extreme math major requirements, like calculus in infinite dimensions.”
The computer applications major exposed Scanlon to a new career possibility and to new friends, including one she married. Her husband, Pete Scanlon, is chief information officer at Chicago-based Hu-Friedy Manufacturing.
Now 42, Jennifer Scanlon is chief information officer at Chicago’s USG Corp., a maker of building products.
Q. Have you incorporated anything you learned from your on-campus or summer jobs into how you approach your work today?
A. Definitely. Being a resident assistant taught me to take a deep breath and realize everyone has a story, a reason for wanting to do something , behaving or responding the way they do. That’s a very important insight for managers.
For seven summers, I worked for the Elk Grove Park District starting as a swim instructor, working up to lifeguard and manager. There were lots of challenges: scheduling lifeguards who might not like their assignment, a demanding public wanting their money back on rainy days. I had to set up fair processes for dealing with things.
Q. How do you spend your day?
A. Being an effective chief information officer isn’t about the technology. That’s easy. I’ve got a full team of people who can handle any crisis.
I spend much of my day inserting myself into situations where people might not have thought to have invited me. They think all we do is manage tech stuff. What we really do is solve business strategy problems using technology.
For example, recently I had coffee with a colleague who has a significant business problem he needs solved. Instead of talking about the tech solution, I asked him to describe the real problem he wanted to solve. Our team will figure out the best technology answer.
Q. How do you balance work-life?
A. Because Pete has the same type of job, sometimes it’s nice to go home and talk through a problem at work. Other days, when it’s been really intense, it’s the last thing I want to talk about.
We have two daughters. We make our life work with a great team, a fantastic baby-sitter, plus my husband’s sister and my parents live close. We also have one rule: no travel on the same days.
Q. Anything else?
A. I’ve been a runner since freshman year in high school. My dad, Elk Grove High School’s calculus teacher and football coach, had incorporated running into football training.
I’d run with him to keep him company and talk with him. Now, I run triathlons. It keeps me balanced.
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Step by step
2008-present: Vice president/chief information officer, USG Corp., Chicago
2007-08: Director, information technology/chief information officer, USG
2003-07: Director, SCM/CRM strategy and implementation, USG
2000-02: Senior vice president, Bricker & Associates, Chicago
1998-99: Vice president, Bricker & Associates
1997-98: Senior manager, Bricker & Associates
1995-96: Manager, Bricker & Associates
1994-95: Senior consultant, Bricker & Associates
1993-94: Consultant, IBM Consulting Group, IBM Corp., Chicago
1992: Master’s of business administration, University of Chicago
1990-92: Assistant for technical operations, IBM, Rolling Meadows
1989-90: Corporate staff analyst, IBM, Chicago
1988-89: Business analyst, Hewitt Associates, Lincolnshire
1988: Bachelor’s degree, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
1987-88: Resident assistant, Lyons Hall, University of Notre Dame
1985-87: Calculus teaching assistant and tutor, University of Notre Dame
1981-87: Summer employee, Elk Grove Park District, Elk Grove Village
1979-81: Baby-sitter, Elk Grove Village
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atpalmer42@aol.com
How did they do it? Read previous stories by Ann Therese Palmer on how executives have developed their skills at chicagotribune.com/careerpath
